In this Riviera Firefly Episode 16 Antonia chats with  committee members Ellie Goblet d’Alviella and  Karen Hockney from Mimosa Matters a fundraising organisation with a difference ..  a team of 9 incredible women here in the South of France dedicated to raising funds that then flow into existing established cancer charities.

This is part of the Riviera Firefly podcast continuing the community series . You can go back and find our previous episodes on rivierafirefly.com/14 for Al Roberts from the Blah Blahs about a music event 1 max de Bruit  in May raising money for autism and /15 for the episode  where Julie Hellon shares why and how she set up Kenyan Kids.

Riviera Firefly is your online guide to living on and visiting the French Riviera and the Côte d’Azur. We cover topics such as Education for children and adults, Places to visit, Health and lifestyle, hobbies and leisure and have lots of fun here in the Alpes Maritimes. We also talk to inspiring local entrepreneurs and small businesses about how they started their careers in France, dealing with administration and what brought them here in the first place. Topical issues such as Brexit and what this means to expats will also be covered in 2017. Our online directory and magazine can be found on www.rivierafirefly.com

THIS EPISODE

The committee are all ladies , many are mums and many work like Karen who’s a freelance journalist for UK national newspapers and magazines and has an incredible A-List of people she has interviewed ?we get talking about Danny Devito , Helen Mirren and Elle McPherson some of the people she has met through her work and we also talk about the incredible story she has just co-written with Callie Blackwell it’s her 2nd book ? The boy in 7 billion

Ellie and Karen’s background back in England

KEY POINTS

[04:16] What to expect from the programme

[03:00] Ellie grew up down in Eastbourne for an Enid Blyton kind of up bringing and Karen had a more street wise upbringing in London. We talked about their moves to the South of France.

[08:48] RIVIERA SCOOP The Boy in 7 Billion new book co-written by Karen with Callie Blackwell will be published by Mirror Books available April 6th 2017. Mail on Sunday is doing a serialisation, The Mirror and This Morning’scPhil and Holly are doing interviews as are the Metro and the Sun. It’s a  “Fantastic” book and Derry’s incredible journey a care with cannabis.

[10:42]  Open the debate on using alternative treatments and therapies for treating cancer e.g. using cannabis. Is there an incentive to look at medical research for cannabis oil and cannabis tincture – medicinal cannabis. California has legalised cannabis for medical reasons.More research and more clinical trials are needed.

[16:00] Ellie’s brother was the trigger for Mimosa Matters. Her brother had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer – very rare for an under 40 year old over a kitchen table the idea took seed as so many had been touched by cancer. The Mimosa Ball was their first event raising 34,000 euros. The committee is run by 9 incredible women. PureDesign International has supported Mimosa Matters with IT and publicity support.

[20:00] WHAT EVENTS

Fiona McCloud’s Quiz nights in Castle Pub in Chateauneuf de Grasse, Clothing Sales run in the Provencal Golf Club

The Mimosa Ball: 13th May 2017 held at the  Royal Mougins Golf Club in association with Yachting Partners International (YPI) .

Last tickets left info@mimosamatters.org

The Nice Cannes Marathon ..join in even if you can only do a stage. There was an after party in Ma Nolan’s in Cannes.

They are looking for more people to fundraise .. Do you have an idea? Go and speak to the Mimosa Matters. Just arrived and you want to meet more people join this community.

What happens to the money ? All the money  is fed into partner cancer charities.

• La Ligue Contre le Cancer
•  L’Espace Ligue Centre supporting local community in Antibes
• Cancer Support Group 06 (CSG06)
• Pediatric oncology unit in l’Archet allowed children to have entertainment in the summer and had trips to Disney.

[23:00] Karen’s story through her cancer journey and the support she received during her treatment in particular the support Cancer Support Group 06 (CSG06) help with legalities and translations and support the anglophones.

[30:00] Who Mimosa Matters are hoping to work with more in the future.

[32:00] Mimosa Matters prizes!!

[35:00]  Book recommendations:

• The art of hearing heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker – Karen would read this in the Côte d’Azur’s very own Venice – Port Grimaud
• Ellie recommends : In the Shadows of Crows Book by David Charles Manners
• and Breathing Out by Karen Hockney  available on Amazon because it is is an essential tool for cancer sufferers and their families to understand from both sides.
• The Boy in 7 Billion Callie Blackwell and Karen Hockney

[36:00]and Finally Karen shares a little about people she has interviewed: Danny deVito what is he like as an interviewee.. Helen Mirren IS the women we hope she is and Elle McPherson “The Body” who worked with Karen’s nutritionist Dr Simoné Laubscher , a Nutritional Doctor to create the Super Elixier

IMPORTANT LINKS

Mimosa Matters info@mimosamatters.org  http://www.mimosamatters.org  Find out more – how you can get involved, support, fundraise and put back into the community.

http://karenhockneymedia.com and blogger franglaiseausud.blogspot.com

Cancer Support Group 06 https://cancersupportgroup06.wixsite.com/csg06